Alcohol and Women’s Health

May 13, 2017

Blog By: Sulagna Das

As much as grabbing a few cocktails with your friends on a Saturday night sounds appealing, think again. Alcohol seems like a fun away to have the best time of your life, but not so best for that beautiful body of yours.
Alcohol affects women differently than men. Women having a smaller frame than that of men, have less water and metabolize alcohol slower. Thus, the brain and liver are more exposed to damage. Even if they drink less than a man, they may experience the same level of impairment. They are also quicker to liver damage and other alcohol related problems.

I’m going to even out the plane here. There are benefits of alcohol as well, like:

For women over the age of 55, one drink per day may reduce the risk for heart diseases.

Beer has been observed recently to possess anticancer properties, prevention of dementia and coronary diseases.

Wine is said to have anti-aging properties.

But there are more risks rather than benefits when it comes to alcohol. Especially, for us women.
Here are some of the known negative properties of alcohol on women’s health:

It can damage your DNA. Published in the journal Alcohol, drinking may lead to oxidative stress that damages your DNA.

Cancer. Women who drink are highly susceptible to breast cancer and head and neck cancers.

Brain damage. Alcohol decreases the production of brain cells by 40%. It also inhibits regeneration of new cells and repairing of the damaged cells.

Pregnancy. It can affect the ability of a woman to conceive a baby. During pregnancy, no amount of alcohol is considered safe. If taken, it may have harmful consequences on the foetus.

Spikes your blood pressure. Blood pressure of women who drink are 12 points higher than a woman who doesn’t drink.

It leaves you tired. Too much alcohol depletes your vitamin B12 , which leads to fatigue, light-headedness and confusion.

Depression. Many women turn to alcohol to cope up with depression, but it is actually of no sleep. It worsens your condition, disrupts your sleeping pattern (alcohol reduces your REM sleep), may lead to heart failure or poor nutrition, especially in older women.

So you see, it’s not really that fun. Alcohol may also lead to an addiction which is never good for your health. In order to cut out booze as a solution to everything, try looking for an alternative.
If you’re sad and you think a glass of wine will make it better, don’t do it. Call up a friend, talk and pour your heart out. You will feel much better.
Don’t look up for that new bar in town the next time you decide to have fun with your girls. Instead put on your favourite karaoke tunes and belt out to the songs in your living room. Trust me, that’s more fun than you’ll ever have in a club. Tried, tested and totally approved by yours truly!

And I’m saying this again because it’s important: It’s time to lay off the booze now. And please be responsible and never drink and drive.